We learned this from a restaurant owner. My mom tried it. About the 5th time she did it, we said, Ugh. She informed us we had been eating them regularly. It is just enough to relieve the gas, but cause no other problems. The man who told mom this said that if you do not have a good reputation for non-gassy beans, no one would buy them at the lunch hour. I’ve done this for about 60 years and it works.

I totally accept that it’s a matter of degree and you shouldn’t be doing massive amounts of shopping for other people. But that’s not so unusual in financial ethics. I also think it’s reasonable to flip through a book at Barnes & Nobles that you’re not interested in buying to kill five minutes before a dinner reservation, but not so much to sit down and read it cover to cover.

Since I’ve been a member for years, I don’t know if Costco offers day-passes. I know Sam’s Club occasionally does, and also allows anyone to shop without becoming a member, for a 10% markup. Restaurant supply stores are the best sources of multiple varieties of beans, in my experience, and most don’t require membership.

Giving up your own wholesale club membership if you no longer use it is one thing, but asking someone else who pays for one to buy you beans in bulk seems unethical to me. One of the ongoing discussions on this website is the difference between frugality and cheapness. Frugality is generally seen as getting the best value from the money you spend. Cheapness is paying the least amount possible, even if it means taking advantage of other people or organizations. Taking towels from a hotel isn’t frugality, it’s theft. Asking someone to buy you things from a wholesale store to which you do not have a membership is theft in my mind also. Even if you pay the person for the items they purchased for you, you are cheating the store.

I only use canned beans when on a camping trip or an emergency. :) They taste so much better slow cooked in the crock pot, plus you can control the salt etc…

I seldom use pinto (chili only) so I buy the BIG can generally at Aldi.

I do regularly cook up black beans from dried. I make a good size batch and use some and freeze some in single serve portions.

Generally I see garbanzos and black beans sale priced for about the same cost.

Bottom line:
I cook only the type of beans I use MOST frequently.

When using the crockpot, you want to use it to capacity, not just 2 cups. I have a 6 quart crockpot and will cook beans in 1 lb portions. Store the rest in meal sized portion in the freezer for leftovers… it is a great time saver.

Cover soaked beans in 2 inches of water in the crockpot. If the beans are unsoaked, you might want to leave like 4-5 inches of water above the beans.

I typically like to soak my beans the night before and dump the leftover water. This serves both cleaning and soaking at once. I will then put the soaked beans in the crockpot with 2 inches water on top.

Another protip: if you want very soft beans, use 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. This works great for making chickpeas for homemade hummus. The baking soda will break down the outside shell of the bean. Don’t use too much though… it will caused them to have a burned smell.

I have to add another +1 for the pressure cooker. Pinto beans take me almost exactly 1 hour to cook from dried-beans-plus-water to perfectly done. I always make a huge batch using a 6L pressure cooker and freeze what we don’t use. The beans are always there in dinner sized quantities after thawing.

I also buy my pintos in a 20lb bag for about $16 dollars.

All that said, I’d argue that in this case, cooking your own beans is the most cost effective way to prevent botulism and BPA exposure, all in one fell swoop.

It also does not follow that BPA causes any adverse health affects. Sure, there have been increased incidents in lab mice who were INJECTED with BPA. But I don’t plan on doing that any time soon.

At this point in time, can liners containing BPA is the most cost effective way to prevent botulism.

for home made refried beans I just barely cover the beans with chicken stock, add spices and a half pint of chile peppers to the pot. Watch and add stock if needed, but not too much or they get runny. Add salt and I either blend with my food processor or a stick blender at the end, and I freeze all my beans in regular pint canning jars, no liquid.

They defrost quickly, and if I needed them ASAP I can pour some hot water over the beans and strain them to get them out of the jar quickly.